Why are vaccines important?

Vaccines help protect us, our children, and our communities against preventable diseases. They are tested to ensure safety and prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year. Since vaccines were introduced, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely. Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced.